Blue Billywig

Web guidelines: improve video accessibility

The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect. - Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web

I couldn’t have said it any better: when producing content you want to make sure it’s accessible to everyone. Although this might seem obvious, it’s often forgotten when it comes to online video. Have you for example ever given any thought about how visually or hearing impaired viewers experience your video?

In this blog I will give you three quick tips on how to make your online video content accessible to all your viewers.

Web guidelines

When you make your online content available to anyone, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is a helpful set of criteria. The WCAG is designed to increase the quality and accessibility of your website. What makes it even more useful is that it is a technical standard used all over the world. So if you stick to these guidelines, you support any visitor from anywhere in the world who wants to view your content.

In addition to supporting visitors with a visual or hearing impairment, it also gives visitors with a slow internet connection or outdated software the certainty to see your content. Curious how that works? Experience it for yourself:

Added value for video

The WCAG is very useful for your business; following the guidelines is compulsory for a reason when it comes to governmental organisations. Besides the general comforts and benefits for your website, adhering to these standards will also adds value to your videos:

More visitors are able to understand your content with subtitles and a descriptive audio track.

Your video is user friendly and accessible.

Last but definitely not least: it improves your video SEO.

Let’s go through these points one by one.

1. Subtitles and audio track When adding an audio track or subtitles to the video a broader audience can be reached because more people are able to understand your content. Adding subtitles is most likely no new concept to you: in text you describe music, surroundings and spoken words to make the video understandable for a visitor with impaired hearing or in an environment where silence is required.

By adding a descriptive audio track you give someone visually impaired a description of what is shown in the video. This audio track is like a voice over that says what is visually happening in the video. Preferably at the exact moment it takes place. Both options take your visitors through the video in a way that’s meeting their needs.

Great about these subtitles and audio track is that you can even add them in different languages. More people that understand the content and a broader audience: win-win!

2. User friendly and accessible videosMost players already help you with the first steps of being user friendly: they have a simple pause/play button and the possibility to turn up or down the sound. In order to adhere to the WCAG you should also add the formerly described audio tracks and subtitles.

Being user friendly means that visitors can use your video easily and successfully, but also that they understand it. The descriptive audio track and subtitles make sure that a broader audience has access to your content, because now visitors with impaired hearing or vision can also understand the video. Because not everybody needs or wants sound, an audio track or subtitles, it is important to give users the opportunity to turn them on or off.

3. Video SEOGoogle is smart, but not smart enough to read pictures or videos. This is why you can improve your video SEO by adding subtitles and descriptive audio tracks. Google can read and therefore understand these additions. The plus side: the video will be indexed properly so you can end up high in the search results.

Go the extra mile

You invest in creating content. You create content because you believe it has value for your viewers. So you’d like to share it with the world. By adhering to the WCAG guidelines you can go the extra mile by making sure everyone has the possibility to understand your videos. Would you like to learn more about adhering the WCAG for videos? We would be happy to help you.

Author

Blue Billywig

How can we help?

Ensure that your audience is able to enjoy the best quality possible. We’d love to help you make sure that your brand is represented just as you want it to be, even when viewed in video. Please get in touch to discuss the possibilities.

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